Wrapping up and moving on

While there is more that could be said and cleaning, tidying, and recycling, the material for the activity has been thoroughly explored. 

Obviously there could be other posts. I thought about spending more time on thinking about what happens to your things after you die. I don't think you should make all of your decisions based on other people, which we covered, but it may be worth leaving some instructions. 

Those have been covered in other posts from other times, and may come up again.

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2015/03/preparing-for-death-part-1.html 

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2021/09/not-procrastinating-issues-of-life-and.html 

I saw something else this week that brought this series of posts full circle.

Someone had posted that most things you turn in don't get recycled. "Are they dirty? They don't get recycled."

These posts covered the importance of following the directions given by the places to whom you donate, as well as talking about "wishful" recycling.

There can definitely be problems; that is true. That's why you pay attention to what materials are accepted and what stipulations they have. 

There may also be issues with some unscrupulous places. As we were researching the "threads" issue, we started seeing a lot of ads for one option. A little searching found them getting pretty terrible reviews. That doesn't mean that there aren't good options, but some diligence is needed.

Saying something that could be true under certain circumstances without clarifying is dishonest. It may be even more important to consider the reason for the dishonesty.

In this case, I think it was a person who likes feeling superior to others; minimizing their efforts is one method. 

The "full circle" part is that it reminded me of the compost issue I had written about earlier, where some people will treat everything human as a contaminant, which is not terribly helpful but is pretty discouraging:

https://preparedspork.blogspot.com/2026/04/cleaning-up-and-clearing-out-getting.html 

I see that on other topics besides recycling. 

Individuals can have various motivations. One person might have heard once that there is no point in recycling, get it stuck in their head, and then repeat it out of habit, without ever having looked more into it.

Someone might enjoy feeling superior.

Some may be promoting an agenda. 

For example, someone who sells cars might work against high-speed rail projects because they don't want the competition, but they won't give that as the reason. Maybe instead they will propose something that is supposed to be better, but does not hold up on further scrutiny. 

People who don't scrutinize might repeat that one too. Then if there are bot farms repeating things so that more people are hearing them, bad information and ideas can spread.

You do not necessarily have to become an expert on recycling, or any topic, but it is helpful to periodically ask where information is coming from and what interests it might serve.

Even more helpful could be asking about its effect on you.

Does this information tend to make you feel hopeless? Don't accept it too quickly. If hope lies in a different direction than you thought, it's worth seeking it out.

If I decide to give up recycling, do I go back to a bigger trash bin with a higher monthly rate?

Do we want more landfills? Are those beautiful?

It is frustrating that people will repeat things that may be wrong and that don't benefit them, but they still won't give up the ideas.

It may not be possible to fix that, but we do not have to be led by that. 

Beautifully, continuing to think about what works for you can support a happier life and a healthier planet.